


indigenous wildlife

by AslansCompass



Series: ....and how to save them [1]
Category: Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (Movies), Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: AU, Gen, Harry Potter was Raised by Other(s), Obscurial Harry Potter, Obscurus (Harry Potter)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-15
Updated: 2019-04-22
Packaged: 2020-01-14 14:00:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,772
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18477682
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AslansCompass/pseuds/AslansCompass
Summary: Everyone who knows Clifford Jones would agree that he is a good man, but just a little odd. No one could can put their finger on why, though....--An ordinary day in the park with family takes a different direction when Cliff sees a young boy display dangerous, uncontrolled magic. Cliff may not recognize what's going on, but his father, Newt Scamander, does. And he's not going to sit idly by this time.(the first installment of my Obscurial! Harry series)





	1. Chapter 1

Everyone who knows Clifford Jones would agree that he is a good man, but just a little odd. No one could can put their finger on why, though. The next-door neighbor John Reynolds would point to all the comings and going at odd hours, with no evidence of how, exactly, people got there. Charlotte Leads down the pub would point to how he never quite answered questions about his family. And the vicar would whisper about how his girls had both attended boarding school--boarding school, in this day and age!--when he was a staunch supporter of the local comp.

  
But to the children in his primary class, the answer is simple. Mr. Jones is a wizard. He does amazing stunts in the Christmas panto every year. He always has extra food in his bag for anyone who's hungry. He tells amazing stories.

  
Adults, of course, scoffed. Kids are so naivie. They mistake talent, compassion, and creativity for magical talents.

  
At first glance, the adults would seem to be right. After all, on this sunny July day, there's nothing strange about him. Cliff sat at a picnic table with his wife Jo. A slightly older couple sat with them, talking amiably.

  
A little girl, no more than six, ran up to them. "Mr. Jones, Mr. Jones. I've missed you!"

  
"I've missed you too," he said."How's your summer been?"

  
"Okay, but I miss you."

  
"I missed you too. But school will be starting again soon. Do you know your teacher yet?"

  
"Mrs. Parker."

  
"Oh, she's great, you'll love her."

  
The child wrinkled her nose. "You say that about all the teachers."

  
"That's cause they're all great," Cliff said. He reached into a shirt pocket and pulled out a long, skinny, pink balloon. "What would you like? I need to make sure I'm ready for my next class."

  
She clapped. "Do a flower, please!"

  
"Excuse me, Jo," he grabbed her purse, pulled out a hand pump, and inflated the balloon. With a few quick twists, he shaped it into a flower.

  
"Thanks, Mr. Jones." She ran off to the swing set, happily waving her flower.

  
"They really do love you, don't they?" The older gentleman grinned. "When I was their age, I wouldn't have said boo to a teacher outside school."

  
"Wait, they had school when you were a kid?" Cliff teased.

  
"Hey, watch it. So, any problems with the ministry lately?"

  
"No. I think they've finally given me up as a lost cause. Only took them twenty years, but I'm not complaining. Maybe in another twenty, I'll be able to make some headway with them."

  
"Now who's joking?" Jo poked him in the side.

  
"You're right, it will probably take at least thirty."

  
Another child came barreling towards them. "Mr. Jones, Mr. Jones! Are you doing balloons today?"

  
"Well, let's see, shall we?" Cliff reached into his pocket and pulled out more balloons--one, two, three, four, five, six, seven. As the boy watched, Cliff twisted them into a rainbow. He took another balloon and formed a quick circlet, attaching the rainbow on top. "There you go."

  
"Thanks!" The kid ran off, yelling to his friends. "Hey, Mr. Jones is doing balloons!"

 

Every child in the playground wanted a balloon. Swords and giraffes and octopi and flowers formed in Cliff's quick hands, offered to every child. Two boys ran off with balloon swords to fight each other, while a group of slightly older children organized a parade.

* * *

  
As the other children drifted back to their previous games, a preschooler climbed out of the sandbox and headed over. He wore an oversized t-shirt, stained shorts, and scuffled sandals.

  
"Hey, little guy," Cliff called, but the boy hung back.

  
"You know him?"

  
"Nah, he's too young for my class. Hey, you want a balloon?"

 

The boy nodded.

  
"What's your name?"

  
The boy mumbled something that the adults couldn't quite catch.

  
"Well, you've been very patient, waiting for everyone else to get theirs first. I think you should get something special. What would you like? An airplane? An elephant?"

  
The boy shook his head. "Doggy."

  
"Well, a doggy it is then. Do you have a favorite color? No? Well, that's alright, they're all amazing. Let's go with red. Red's a good color. " Cliff took a red balloon from his pocket and began twisting it. "Okay, first we make the head...than the ears...You know what, this doggy needs a name. What would you like to call him?"

  
"Foofy."

  
"Foofy it is then. Now, Foofy is very soft, so don't squeeze him too hard. He can't fetch sticks or anything like that, but I know you'll be very careful with him." Cliff finished the last knot. "Rowgh, Rowgh," he said, holding up the balloon. "That means he likes you."

  
"Thanks." He held the dog in both hands.

 

"Better go back where your mum or dad could find you. Don't want to get lost."

  
"No mum. Just Aunt Tuna."

  
"Well, I'm sure she wouldn't want to lose you either."

  
The boy's shoulders drooped. He turned around and sat down on an empty bench.

  
Another boy, chubby and cross, climbed out of the sandbox and headed towards the first. "Mine," he announced, tugging on the balloon's nose. "Mine."

  
The first boy tried to wiggle away, but the stranger grabbed the balloon with both hands. "Mine." He squeezed tightly.

  
The balloon popped.

  
The culprit started wailing. "Mummy, Harry bwoke toy."

 

A woman, as dumpy and cross as the boy, looked up from a magazine. "Oh, what is it, Dudders dear?"

  
"Bwoke" Dudders held up one scrap of the balloon. "Hawy bwoke."

  
"Oh, it's okay, we'll get you a new one. A better one." She patted the boy on his head. She strode over to the other boy and grabbed him by the collar. "Did you break Dudley's toy, you good-for-nothing freak?"

  
He shook his head.

  
"Liar!" The woman slapped his cheek.

  
The boy dissolved into a cloud of smoke. It whirled and screeched overhead, tearing branches off trees, shredding leaves, and digging into the ground. But it didn't move--it stayed in one place, towering over trees and buildings.

  
"Not again," The older man whispered, words torn away by the wind. "Not again!"

  
"Not again what?" Jo asked.

  
"Not now. Jo, get everyone else out. Tina, shield charm. Cliff, balloon animals."

  
"What?"

  
"You heard me. Your best balloon animals, now."

  
"Everybody, clear out, clear out," Jo shouted. Kids were scattering in every direction--a few even ran towards the cloud. "No, not that way, dearie," she said, catching one little girl by the arm. "Other way, sweetheart."

  
"But my mum's that way!"

  
"I'll help you find her, I promise, but right now you need to get somewhere safe, okay?" Jo said. "Come on, honey." She took the little girl by the hand.

  
"What's going on?"

  
"I'm not sure," Jo admitted. "But some very smart people are working to figure it out. "

* * *

 

" _Protego_ ," Tina shouted, pointing her wand at the cloud. The storm tore at an invisible barrier, smoke and haze breaking like a wave.

  
Cliff reached into his pocket and pulled out a handfull of balloons. With a quick whisper, the balloon was inflated. Twist, turn, knot--an octopus. "Now what?"

  
"Keep going. Just let me talk." The older man took one step towards the storm. "Hey, hey, kid, listen to me. I'm not going to hurt you, I promise. Has this happened before? Do you know what's going on?"

  
The whirling paused for a moment.

  
"My name is Newt. Like the animal. Do you like newts? They're kid of like frogs, except longer and slimy. The man who gave you the balloon is my son Cliff. So is my wife, Tina. We're all wizards. Do you know what a wizard is? It's someone who can do strange things, special things that not everyone can do."

  
"Hurry up," Cliff yelled. "I'm running out of balloons."

  
"Just keep going," Tina called back. The dark wind swirled around them, ripping leaves and twigs from the ground. "The shield's taking quite a battering, but it's holding for now."

  
"Shh, I need to talk to him." Newt took another step towards the storm. "Hey, what's your name? I have a grandson about your age; his name's Rolf. Do you mind if I call you Rolf? Rolf, can you hear me?" Newt sat on the ground. "Rolf, listen to me. I don't want to hurt you."

  
The storm continued tearing at the ground.

  
"You're scared, aren't you? Really, really scared. You know what, I've been scared too. I've seen big animals and monsters and all kinds of things, but you know what else? I've seen amazing things too. I've seen people do amazing things, come together to protect each other. And I want to help you."

  
The winds froze in place, a dark, swirling tower.

  
"Please, let me help you."

  
Tina began singing softly. "I went to the animal fair, the birds and the beasts were there..."

  
Newt joined in. "The big baboon by the light of the moon was combing his auburn hair."

  
The wind lessened slighty, but the cloud remained tall.

  
"I'm out of balloons," Cliff hissed.

  
"Sing!" Tina ordered, quickly beginning the next verse. "You should have seen the monk,"

  
"He sat on the elephant's trunk," Cliff joined in.

  
"The elephant sneezed and fell on his knees." Newt waved his arm up by his nose. "Ker-chew!"

  
"And that was the end of the monk," Tina sang.

  
They continued, past the traditional verses and inventing more, including "the bright blue billywig, with fizzling fun he stings," and "a great big angry troll." Eventually, the cloud disappearead, leaving only the still toddler.

  
The three adults looked at each other. Tina moved first. " _Finite_." She walked over and took his pulse. "Alive." Despite the summer sun, his skin was cool to the touch. She pulled a coat out of her pocket and draped it over him. He murmured something she couldn't quite hear.

  
"What was that?" she asked.

  
"Hugs," he said, without opening his eyes. "Hugs."

  
Tina sat down on the grass. She picked him up, coat and all, and held him to her chest. "It's okay, honey. Go to sleep."

* * *

  
A few minutes later, Jo came back to the bench, dragging the woman behind her. "Caught her trying to leave," she said, shoving the stranger forward. The other boy shuffled along behind the two of them, surprisingly quiet. "I think she knows more then she's saying."

  
"Right then," Cliff held up his wand. "Let's see what she knows, shall we?"

  
"Cliff, she's--"

  
But the woman shrieked at the sight.

  
"Oh, so you do know what this is," Cliff remarked. "Good. That will save time."

  
"You're one of them, aren't you! One of their lot! What are you doing here?"

  
"Just passing through. Good thing for you we were, too. Didn't look like you knew how to handle the situation. Unless..." Cliff took a step closer. "Oh, that wasn't the first time this has happened, is it?"

  
"I knew it was a risk, taking him in, I knew it from the start. But it was my duty. And maybe he could be safe, maybe he'd never get involved in that business."

  
"So, he's not your son, then?"

  
"Course not, he's my good-for-nothing nephew. Parents got mixed up with the wrong crowd and died for it. And it seems he's headed down the same road."

  
"You didn't seem too surprised by this little incident. " Cliff noted. "Has anything like it happened before? Anything uncanny or strange?"

  
"With his parents, I'm not surprised by anything. My parents should never have tolerated that crap in my sister and I'm not going to have it. We're good, respectable people, I'll have you know."

  
"So, you thought that beating the stuffing out of poor--what's his name, anyway?"

  
"Harry." The woman sniffed. "Such a common, vulgar name. Nothing like my Dudley."

  
"Well, Harry needs help. My brother knows about these sort of things--let me give you his number--"

  
"We don't need help from your lot." The woman scowled. "The boy just needs to learn some respect. Some time in his cupboard will teach him better."

  
Jo took a step forward. "Cupboard?"

  
The woman's face turned red. "Room, that's what I meant. Room. His room."

  
"He's a boy, not a box of cereal!" Jo snapped. "Oh, if I could--Cliff!"

  
"Yes, dear?"

  
"Stun 'em both, please."

  
"Jo!"

  
"Well, we can't have the little twat running around unsupervised," Jo muttered.

  
Cliff sighed. "You have a point. _Stupify_."


	2. Chapter 2

Once they were back at Cliff's house, Tina set the still--sleeping boy on the couch. Newt took out his wand and began murmuring several spells. "Jo, help me look him over, please."

"I don't have any of my equipment here, there's not much I can do."

"I know. Cliff, what are you doing?"

"Calling Edward. It's a weekend, he should be home." 

"Don't." 

"What?"

"Don't call him."

"Why not? He's trained in these sort of things. And no offense, Dad, but you're used to working with nifflers and kelpies, not kids."

"As much as I hate to admit it, he's right," Jo felt the boy's forehead. It seemed fine to her. Did they even have a thermometer in the house? "I don't know anything about curses. Wouldn't it be better to--"

"It's not a curse." Newt gritted his teeth. 

"Hang on just a minute. I may not be an expert, but I know magic when I see it. And that was A. Definitely magic. and B. Not right. "

"It's not a curse. Curses are cast deliberately, with a specific target in mind."

"So what, then, transformation?" Cliff frowned. "But what kind? That wasn't any spell I recognized. Even if it was, it's far too advanced for his age."

"Not that either."

"Well, what then?"

Tina laid a hand on Newt's shoulder. "We're going to have to tell them. They saw everything."

"But--" Newt let his words trail off. She was right, of course. "Only if they promise not to tell."

"We're right here, you know," Jo pointed out.

"You have to promise. You won't tell anybody. Not your friends, not the Ministry, not your siblings, not even Sandra and Wendy." 

Jo and Cliff looked at each other for a moment. "You're asking us to keep a secret?"

"I know, I know," Newt turned to face them. "I know how much you hate it. But it's the only way to keep this kid safe."

"Safe? Safe from what?"

Newt didn't answer. 

"Alright then, I promise."

Newt sank into one of the chairs across from the couch. He didn't take his eyes off Harry as he spoke. "Before I met Tina, I traveled around the world. I've seen beasts that even wizards consider myths. I've always said that creatures aren't dangerous, that they should be protected. But there is one creature I'd be very happy to never see again. One creature that never should have existed at all: it's called an obscurius.

"Officially, there haven't been any for centuries. Today, I met one for the third time in my life."

"But there wasn't a creature... just that boy..."

"You're saying the boy became something else? Like, a werewolf or something?"

"Not exactly," Newt buried his face in his hands. "Not quite. Tina...could you....I don't know how to..."

Tina took a deep breath. "Jo, you wanted to know why we didn't ask Edward for help. Not every magical problem can be solved with magic. Lycanthrophy may be a magical problem, but there's no way to treat it. But that's still from the outside. If curses are like injuries and werewolves are like infection, this is more like... like cancer. Cancer happens when a person's cells don't work properly, right? Too many or too few or too quickly, and you can't just kill them all because some of them are critical, right?"

"Basically."

"Magic can do that too. Most kids can't control their magic at first, but learn as they get older. Sometimes that could be dangerous. During times when wizards were in hiding, young kids were often the first to be caught. It was worse for muggle-borns, who didn't have anyone to teach them or protect them. So these kids would try to suppress their powers. But it doesn't work."

"Like locking up the silverware from nifflers," Newt tried to add a touch of humor. "Only means it's all in one place for their grubby little paws."

"The suppression creates an obscurius, a fierce magical being that hides inside the child. A parasite. When the child is angry or afraid, the obscurious breaks out. It can't be harnessed or controlled or tamed. It just destroys. You saw it today--that dark cloud in the park. Eventually, the child just dissolves. Nothing left of humanity." 

"You've seen it before?"

"Twice. A girl in Africa and a young man in New York." 

"What happened to them?"

"The girl died....I never knew her name. The other one---caught Grindelwald's attention."

"There was nothing else you could have done," Tina said softly. 

"No, not the first time. But with Credence--I should have known, I should have seen it." Newt clenched his fists. 

"And this time, you did." Cliff said. "So, what's your plan?"

"Plan? I... I don't know.... I'm just....I'm not going to stand by and let it happen to someone else. Not again."

"Well, you won't have to worry about his aunt, at the very least."

"What?"

"Oh, didn't I tell you?" Jo said. "Cliff brainwashed her."

"Jo!" Cliff rolled his eyes. "It wasn't brainwashing."

"Kind of was, in my book. You were going to wipe her memory anyway, I know that much. And if you hadn't, the ministry would, once they heard about it. Don't worry, it wasn't a big brainwashing. Just a little one. She thinks Harry's dead. Died of a--what did you tell her, Cliff?"

"Freak lightening strike," he admitted. 

"What if someone discovers it?" 

"Who? It was a minor alteration, smudged around the edges with a Confundus charm. She won't be questioning it either; traumatic memories tend to be a bit off, or at least I've heard so. "

"I would have thought you, of all people, would know better than--"

Cliff interrupted. "Yeah, I know. But you know what's even more important to me than ending the Statute? Protecting little kids. And you can't tell me you weren't prepared to do the exact same thing. I saw your face when that woman started talking. I saw how you looked at the kid. I know that face. That's your Sally Sheepdog face. I may not know an obscurius from an ostrich, but I know your protective instincts."


	3. Chapter 3

The next morning, Tina went to turn on the telly while they ate breakfast in the kitchen. They didn't get reception at home, but they liked keeping up with Muggle news all the same.

 

> "....tragedy in Surrey yesterday, as a toddler dies in a freak storm. We're here with his family to learn the story."

  
"Hey, Cliff--you said a freak accident, right?" Tina called.

  
"Yeah, why?"

  
"It's on the telly."

  
The adults rushed over. Jo came in a moment later. "Had to let Harry out of the chair," she explained.

  
Onscreen, a reporter stood next to the woman from the park.

 

>   
>  "Mrs. Dursley, I'm so sorry for your loss. Can you tell us what happened?"
> 
>   
>  "Well, we'd just gone to the park for a playdate. Such lovely weather we were having the other day. Dudley was building a lovely sandcastle when Harry came over and knocked it down."
> 
>   
>  "And Harry is your son, then?"
> 
>   
>  "Goodness, no! He's my nephew. Harry Potter. His parents died two years ago, so we took him in."

Cliff, Newt, and Tina gasped at once. 

"Harry Potter?"

"That's.... Harry Potter..."

> "The boy's not as clever as our son Dudley, but we did our best with him. Anyway, I was just about to give him a stern talking-to, though it never seems to do much good, when this freak storm came out of nowhere. Struck the child right where he stood."

"But that means..." Tina said, turning to look at the boy. "What did they do?" 

The telly rambled on in the background, but nobody was listening to it now. 

 

"Dark magic....the  killing curse failed, but what if--" Newt shook his head. "But the other times--"

  
"Would someone please explain what is going on?" Jo demanded.

  
"Harry Potter," Cliff coughed. "You do read the Daily Prophet, right?"

  
"Only when you insist. It's worse than the Sun."

  
"He defeated Sauron!"*

  
"But that's impossible. The war ended, what, two years ago? He'd have been a baby!"

  
"That's what confused people. Sauron attacked a young couple, James and Lily Potter. Couldn't have been much older than Dottie's girls. When the Aurors got there, James and Lily were both dead, but their son was still alive. Sauron hasn't been seen since."

  
"And you think this boy--"

Tina grabbed a napkin and turned to Harry. "I just need to wipe off your face, okay? I'll be gentle."

  
"Okay," Harry mumbled.

  
Tina wiped fruit from Harry's cheeks. She reached up and carefully lifted his bangs, revealing a green lightening-bolt scar.

  
"We bloody well kidnapped the most famous magical kid in the world."

  
"It wasn't kidnapping."

  
"This was your idea!"

  
"Oh, was it? Because I seem to remember you were the one who cast the spell." Jo raised her voice.

  
Harry cowered,  glancing from one adult to another. "Bad? Hawry bad?"

  
"No, honey, you didn't do anything wrong," Tina reassured him.

  
"Neither did we," Cliff muttered.

  
"Now, calm down. This actually makes things easier."

  
"What?"

  
"First, we've got confirmation he's an orphan. Since Cliff took care of the aunt, there won't be anyone else to come looking for him. "

  
"Right...." Tina said slowly.

  
"More to the point, he's fullblood wizard. Not muggleborn or halfblood. "

 

Cliff grinned wolfishly. "Bet he doesn't even exist in regular records. Gringotts, on the other hand--"

  
"Exactly. Once I register him as a ward, I should be able to access his parents' paperwork. If we're lucky, they'll even have a will. I can't believe they would have wanted him to live with those people." Newt shook his head.

  
"And if they did?"

  
"Under the circumstances, I think a change of plans is entirely justified." Newt stood up. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to swing by the house to pick up my formal robes before flooing over."

  
"Is that really necessary?"

  
"Just covering all the bases. We are not going through all that again."

  
"Amen!" Cliff agreed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> No, the references to Sauron aren't a crossover. Cliff's family dubbed Voldemort 'Sauron' during the first conflict because a. He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named is rather a mouthful, and b. allows them to discuss it around Muggles.


End file.
